TDK Develops Compact, High-Capacitance MLCC For 100V Applications
TDK Corp. announced the development of a multilayer ceramic chip capacitor with a rated voltage of 100V for mid-voltage applications. The new product uses ceramic dielectric thin-layer and multilayering technologies to improve capacitance to what the company calls the industry’s highest levels in the mid-voltage range. Mass production in Japan is scheduled to begin in July.
According to the company, as the fundamental driving performance of automobiles improves, and comfort and safety functions become more advanced, there is a substantial increase in the use of electronic equipment. In addition, next-generation eco-friendly cars that can contribute to reducing environmental impact through better fuel efficiency and lower carbon dioxide emissions have attracted considerable attention. Amidst these developments, the number of electronic devices installed in limited space is increasing, and market demand is rising for components that can contribute to the miniaturization of these devices.
TDK states that it is responding to these market needs by using its strengths in materials and multilayering technologies to reduce the gaps between ceramic dielectrics layers by approximately 40% compared to earlier products. In addition, sintering conditions were optimized to maintain the reliability needed for automobile on-board MLCCs while making components smaller and increasing capacitances.
As a result, these new products have the same capacitance of earlier TDK components but are approximately 50% smaller, while a component that is the same size has approximately double the capacitance. They feature X7S temperature characteristics (operating temperature range: -55 to 125°C; change in capacitance: ±22%), making them well suited for use in engine compartments as well as the switching power supply smoothing circuits1 needed for industrial equipment.
The main applications for the product are: input/output smoothing in automobile engine compartments (battery lines, etc.); industrial equipment switching power supply smoothing; cell balancing applications for hybrid vehicle batteries; unregulated 48V power supplies for networking; and power-over-ethernet applications.
